The embodiments described herein relate generally to gaming machines and, more particularly, to systems and methods for dividing a gaming machine display into a plurality of frames and merging the plurality of frames into a single frame.
At least some known gaming machines provide a plurality of concurrent games that are displayed on separate display screens or in separate portions of a display device. For example, at least some known gaming machines enable a player pre-select a desired number of games to play before a gaming session begins. However, the player cannot change the number of games during the gaming session to reduce the number of games being played. Rather, the player is required to exit the original multigame session to select a new desired number of games, select a new denomination, and then start play using of the multiple games.
Moreover, at least some known gaming machines enable a player to start a gaming session with multiple games, such as a number of simultaneously-played games including a primary game and one or more secondary games. During play on some such gaming machines, decisions made by the player during play of the primary game affect the one or more secondary games as well. However, at least some such gaming machines do not enable the player to merge the games into a single primary game on the fly.
Furthermore, at least some known gaming machines offer a secondary bonus game that is played within the rules of a primary game. For example, at least some known gaming machines instantiate a bonus game when a particular symbol combination is displayed on a payline during the primary game. The bonus game begins and the primary game is “held” until the bonus game ends. However, such bonus games require sequential play of the primary game and the bonus game and do not enable a player to independently operate either game.